Persevere!!

Read through these motivational quotes...

Instead of giving myself reasons why I can't, I give myself reasons why I can.
Nothing tastes as good as being slim!
Never, never, never quit.
Victory belongs to the most persevering.
The one way to get thin is to re-establish a purpose in life.
There are only two choices when slimming; make progress or make excuses.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.
A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips!
Visualize this thing you want. See it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint and begin.
Failure is a path to success; so don't give up, just move on with firm determination.
If you think you can, you can. If you think you can,t, you are probably right.

Choose one of these quotes. Choose two or three. Write them in capital letters on bright paper or cardstock. Hang it on your fridge with magnets. Write a couple of them on smaller pieces of paper or cardstock - carry them with you. Sounds simple I know but it can help you stay motivated to continue on this path to a healthier you! You're worth it!

And you CAN do it!

Just A Little Umph!

The difference between try and triumph is just a little umph!

That's all. Just a little umph. Every day. If you're like me, looking at your end goal can be overwhelming and even almost unattainable. But look at today - only today. Just a little umph.

What am I going to put in my body today? Just a little umph.

In what physical activity will I participate today? Just a little umph.

Before you know it - the day is over and you're one step closer to your goal. You go, girl! You can do it! Just a little umph is all it takes!

Patience. Compassion. Perseverance. Letting go.

Patience.

How often do we rush things. We go from one thing to the next. We want instant. Things done quickly. Fast food. Prompt attention. Immediate results.

Why can’t we just trust the process? And have patience. Why can’t we do what we know we should do long enough to see the results? Why can’t we have patience?

Compassion.

A deep awareness and sympathy for another's struggles. What is ironic is that most of us would list this as a strength. Raise your hand if you think you AREN’T compassionate! *birds chirping* Anyone? *crickets* A deep awareness. DEEP. When was the last time we slowed down to really understand what others are going through? We move too fast for this. We claim we do yet our sympathy is superficial and selfish. We only have compassion if it benefits us.

Perseverance.

Dedication. The willingness to fight for what you want, despite doors being shut in your face. The strength to stand tall despite the waves crashing against your willpower. Perseverance. When was the last time you climbed up the side of a mountain? When was the last time that you fought for something so hard? When was the last time you allowed yourself to struggle and push through a difficult situation? Persistence.

Set a goal is, whether it is weight loss, your B.A./M.B.A., a long term relationship, making a catrillion dollars. And then have the perseverance to get there.

Letting go.

You can have as much patience, compassion and perseverance as you want but if you don’t have the ability to let go of something, you won’t move forward. Letting go isn’t as easy as just saying “I’ve moved on” or “I forgive you.” Quite the contrary. Letting go means to truly allow things to be. It means being the bigger person because you want to, not because you want someone to give you kudos for being the bigger person. Letting go means allowing yourself to feel the hurt, frustration, selfishness and acknowledge it. Then, in the midst of feeling it, being honest enough with yourself as to why your feeling like that. Only when you are honest with yourself with your feelings can you truly move on.

I wonder how many of us claim we have let go but have no idea what that really means. And in reality, we are being held back by the exact thing we claim we have let go. Just because you don’ t think about it doesn’t mean you have let it go.

Patience. Compassion. Perseverance. Letting go.

All wrapped up into one. You cannot get to where you are going without patience. Or compassion. Or perseverance. Or letting it go. Anyone can set a goal. That’s easy. Anyone can say “I want to lose weight.” But to have the perseverance to fight through it? Well, you have to have patience to have perseverance. And you have to have compassion to let it go.

You’re fighting….but are you setting yourself up for success? If all it took was writing your food down in a journal and working a couple times a week to be healthy, I’m sure there would be more healthy people walking around. But it isn’t that easy. It takes…

Patience. Compassion. Perseverance. Letting go.

Two Steps Forward

"Fall seven times, get up eight." - Japanese Proverb

"Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish." - John Quincy Adams

"The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials." - Chinese Proverb

"Never give in. Never. Never. Never. Never." - Winston Churchill

"Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance." - Samuel Johnson

These quotes all say the same thing. No matter how many obstacles you run into, what matters is that you’re able to overcome each of them, one at a time.

"Two steps forward, one step back" is usually a negative term to describe someone who is having trouble making progress. But switched around, "1 Step Back, 2 Steps Forward" means that instead of grousing or feeling guilty about a misstep, you can still come out ahead if you put your head down and push forward.

Steps back can take many forms: a family vacation, breaks in your routine, personal tragedies, injuries, or that lost weekend in front of the tube. A big mistake people make when trying to get healthier is that when they fall off a bit or something happens, they think they "have to start over". Wrong! When missteps do happen, a better strategy is to simply take two steps forward. You’re still ahead of where you were before, far beyond the starting line.

In tennis, losing one point isn’t the end of the world. It happens to the best of them. In fact, if you can consistently win a few more points that you lose, you may end up in the hall of fame. With healthy eating and exercising, as long as you’re consistently out-stepping your steps back, you’re ahead of the game. If you expect perfection (and many of us do), you’re setting yourself up for disappointment and guilt.

Guilt can be debilitating to your healthy habits. When you mess up (or even when things are messed up for you), it’s natural to feel guilty. At that point, you have a choice: to let that guilt plummet you into a cycle that could spit you out worse off than before, or to accept the step back and say "where do I go from here?"

Of course, consistent success is still something to strive for. You don’t want to roller-coaster up and down. That’s an "old" habit, remember? And the 1Step/2Step strategy doesn’t lessen the need to do your best. You should still work hard to keep those steps back from happening. But it helps to be prepared with a plan and a positive attitude for when they do happen.

Many times, this means a rededication, a refocusing, and a recommitment. You might want to look at your program and see why it’s allowing those landmines to stick around. Use it as a learning process. Ask how you can keep that misstep from happening again.

• Take a walk in the woods to clear your head and regroup.
• Have a personal "bounce back" motto that will re-energize you. Put it everywhere.
• Take a break if you think you’re trying too hard.
• Return to the basics. Are you making it too complicated and tough on yourself?
• Plan ahead for irregularities in your schedule, call ahead to healthy restaurants, pack healthy snacks.
• Stay aware of what you’re doing. One meal mess up can turn into a one day mess up, a one week mess up if you’re not careful.
• Remind yourself of your success so far when you need a boost.

Unlike people who run 10 miles today because they should have run two yesterday, "2 Steps Forward" doesn’t necessarily mean doing a lot more to make up for a blunder. Just make a commitment to do things as right as possible as much as you can.

Ushering Your Dream Into Reality

What's your dream -your goal - for this contest?

Being healthy.

Losing weight.

Fitting into those old jeans.

Being able to shop in any department you choose.

You've thought about it time and again. Maybe for years. You may have even started moving in the right direction to make it happen. At least for a short while. Then it gets hard. It is so easy to slip back into bad habits - no exercise and poor food choices. That defeated mentality you've been carrying around for years is battling hard to keep its place. You aren't seeing the results you'd like to see as quickly as you'd like to see them. This is when the truth comes out. Are you just "wishing" it to happen or are you "determined" to MAKE it happen?

Do some soul searching, girl. Which is it? Wishing or determination? There is no genie in a lamp. You don't get three wishes and poof - you've undone the years of poor choices. It is hard work to get and stay healthy, strong and beautiful. It takes determination.

Determination is the heartbeat of a dream. Determination says success is sticking to the task when the feelings for it have disappeared. It’s what ushers a dream into a reality.

The goals you've set for yourself for this contest and for your life don't have to be just a dream. You..and only you..can make them a reality. I know you can do it.

Take that dream by the hand...and with your determination..usher it into reality!

"It's not what you do once in a while, it's what you do day in and day out that makes the difference."
-- Jenny Craig

What does this say to you? To me, it says - every day is a new chance to get it right. Did you make a bad food choice yesterday? So what?! Today is a new day. Plan your meals for next week to help make shopping, meal preparation and staying on track easier. Were you unable to get motivated to exercise yesterday? So what?! Today is a new day. Take a walk or a hike with some friends or family today while you plan the week in your mind - finding windows of time to put yourself first and exercise! Not hitting the goals you'd hoped to hit as we finish week 2 of the challenge? So what?! Today is a new day. Re-examine your goals and determine to keep moving forward. Had a bad day/week? So what?! Today is a new day - decide that no matter what life throws at you - you're going to take care of yourself because you are worth it! And if you forget - leave me a comment or send me a message, and I'll remind you - that today is a new day!

Are you committed or just interested?

"There's a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in doing something, you do it only when it's convenient. When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses; only results.”

Wow. I just read this quote and I can't begin to tell you how many times I've been "interested" in getting healthy. But that's it. Just interested. Oh I tried. Half-heartedly. And of course - I didn't get the results I wanted. Or if I did, they were short-lived. But guess what? This time I'm more than interested. I am committed! That means I'll exercise when it isn't convenient. That means I'll be intentional about everything I put in my body. That means I'll exercise when I don't feel like it. That means I'll make healthy choices. That means I'm going to take care of me. After all - God has only given me one body - shouldn't I be a good steward and take care of it?

So come on, lovely, what about you? Are you committed or just interested? Accept no excuses. Just results!

Are You Ready?

Staying healthy is a daily battle and the contestants on the Biggest Loser have learned what it takes to win. But as anyone who has tried to get in shape knows, the hardest part of any regimen is the battle of the mind, not the battle of the bulge! These 10 tips to help you get started are from those who made the decision that they are valuable and worth the effort, just like YOU! And you ARE worth it, lovely lady!

Are you ready? 10 steps to get started

• Step 1: Admit you have a weight problem.

If you're overweight, fess up! Denial can prevent you from taking action and pounds will keep piling on. (If you're getting this message, you've already made the decision to be a healthier you! You go, girl! Step 1 complete!)

• Step 2: Don't make excuses

There's never a "good" time to start a weight-loss program. The time to start living healthy is NOW - whether its convenient or not. (Again - if you're reading this - you've already completed step 2! Look - 2 steps done and we haven't really even started yet! See how awesome you are??)

• Step 3: Learn from your past

Most people have been on umpteen diets. Okay, maybe you failed in the past, but use this as an opportunity to learn from your mistakes. What worked for you before? What didn't work? Incorporate your strengths in your new plan and avoid things that tripped you up before. (You ARE strong and capable of success!)

• Step 4: Make a clean sweep of all junk food

You can't eat it, if its not there! Rid your environment - home, office, car-of foods that aren't nutritious or that will cause you to overeat. Replace problem foods with healthy choices including fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, lean means and poultry and low-fat dairy products. (This is farmer's market season - buy locally grown (often organic!) produce at great prices and support your local community while you're getting healthier! What a win-win!)

• Step 5: Build your team.

Everybody's got to have a really strong support group if they're going to get healthy. The research shows clearly that people who lose weight and keep it off have good support systems to help them along. (Guess what? If you're reading this - you're part of an amazing network of women who said - I want to get healthy and I'm willing to partner with you as you get healthy too! Step 5 done! Woohoo!)

• Step 6: Set realistic goals

You've heard it a million times, but if your goals aren't realistic and attainable, you'll get frustrated and most likely quit. Set small goals that you can meet each week to maintain your enthusiasm and momentum. (You're not starting this to quit! So make your weekly goals realistic!)

• Step 7: Make daily resolutioins toward reaching your goals

Early in a program to change your lifestyle, it's helpful to make daily resolutions that are manageable rather than focusing on far-off end goals.Your daily resolutions should be a cinch to pull off. Focus on small steps - like eating two extra servings of vegetables, learning a new exercise or walking for an extra 30 minutes. If all you do is concentrate on what you need to do today, achieving your end goal-like losing 50 lbs. or fitting into a size 6 jeans-will take care of itself! (Concentrate on today! And today only!)

• Step 8:Set your calorie budget

Use this formula to set your daily calorie budget. If you're obese and sedentary, multiply your goal weight by 10 as a starting point. So if you're goal weight is 135 lbs., eat about 1350 calories a day. If you're fairly active, multiply by 13 per pound for about a 1,755 calorie allowance to reach 135 lbs. (This is just one method for taking charge of what we put in our bodies. Whatever method you choose, just stick to it! You won't be sorry!)

• Step 9:Plan to be active for at least 60 minutes a day

Break it up in smaller increments if you need to, but aim for 60 minutes of physical activity at a moderately intense level. (Hey..I'm guessing I'm going to be the Mama in this group (read OLD) - so if I can do it - I know YOU can, girlfriend! I have faith in you!)

• Step 10:Expect to have setbacks

Change doesn't come without setbacks. If you slip up today, jump back in the game tomorrow by eating less, exercising more or both! With a little motivation and dedication, you'll find yourself fit and full of energy this year. Losing weight may just be a bonus.

The real challenge in transformation is not only figuring out what to do, it's having the courage and drive to actually do it. If you're ready to get on the right road and get a fresh start in life - let's get started! You'll be living a healthier, happier life-starting now!